The remarkable achievement of Roger Federer winning the Australian Open to record his 20th Grand Slam Singles Title has increased the profile of tennis even further. These days, tennis has massive television and media coverage. It is hard to accept that the roots of the game were probably in French monasteries many centuries ago. It has come a long way.

Tennis was one of the bastions of amateur sport but that in itself restricted the players who possibly had the time or money to compete regularly. It is half a century since the Open Era changed that but this book tells the story of the early tournaments in tennis, how it was regulated and who were the major names, male and female who graced the sport.

You will certainly have a greater understanding of tennis if you read this book. You will hear about the many personalities that have been involved in the game and likely want to do more research to find out more. There are sad tales, some of early death and bravery, others of extremely poor children whose talent for the game of tennis changed their lives.

So what are you waiting for? Open the pages of this book and dig deep into the great sport of Tennis!